Power pangs to get worse

Already battling power woes, over two lakh residents of Mango are in for darker and hotter days with Jharkhand Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (JUVNL) getting ready to carry out power shutdowns at regular intervals to facilitate widening of Pardih and Old Purulia roads.

Officials of the power board reasoned on Tuesday that stopping supply of electricity to Mango and some its adjoining localities for several hours at a stretch had become the need of the hour if the local residents wanted better, broader roads.

“Both the Pardih stretch and Old Purulia Road, which meet National Highway 33, are being widened with funds provided by the local MLA and the state government. To facilitate road construction work, we need to shift the electricity poles and overhead wires for which we need to stop electricity supply first. Hence, we have no other option but to go for power shutdowns,” said R.J. Singh, superintending engineer of JUVNL.

The senior JUVNL official added that a committee had been formed for charting out the shutdown roster.

“The power cuts will be carried out area-wise. In some places like Azadnagar, it has already started while other localities will start going without power from tomorrow (Wednesday). The shutdown in a particular locality will last for five-six hours,” Singh added.

As it is, several localities of Mango and its adjoining areas have been facing power crisis for the past few days due to the breakdown of a 33KV transmission line. Areas like Dimna Road, Azadnagar, Zakirnagar, Sankosai and Baliguma on NH-33 are already in the grip of intermittent power cuts and prolonged loadshedding. These areas are receiving 15-16 hours of power daily.

With the shutdown becoming imminent, supply will be further scaled down to around 10 hours.

“The shutdown will continue till all the electricity poles on Pardih and Old Purulia roads are relocated. The widening of NH-33 will also affect supply of electricity to different localities along the highway,” said another JUVNL official, who looks after transmission.

The crisis has already led to drinking water problems at apartments and multi-storeyed buildings as the water pumps cannot be operated.

Sources said that JUVNL’s Singhbhum unit would issue a notification about the shutdown in a day or two, appealing to the local residents to put up with the inconvenience.